They are what saved his legs when he skidded off of the road into a meter deep ditch in Nepal. They are what gave me great confidence that I wouldn’t get hurt if Roel dropped the Africa Twin while we were two-up.
TBT #1: riding 2-up through Australia was when I first fell in love with the Hepco & Becker Gobi cases.
Like the time we were about to cross a river where the occasional croc had been spotted in Australia and Roel misjudged the muddy river bank and down we went - instead of being pinned under the bike, the Gobi cases cushioned our fall and protected my legs. AND the Gobi cases still looked great, were very multi-purpose AND were water-tight after 5 years on the road.
TBT #2: Because it is so easy to remove the Gobi Cases from the Hepco & Becker rack, they make for great chairs in a pinch... like on my birthday in the Outback of Australia.
The Zega cases that came on my Transalp on the other hand did not and were not. Don’t get me wrong, Touratech makes some good stuff. Just someone wasn’t paying attention when they made the Zega Cases. Or they were paying attention, and consciously made them only for the rider who never drops his/her bike. Especially not in the sand. Definitely not on slick rock. And surely not in parking lots. Not that I ever did that ;)
When ogling Roel’s Gobi’s became coveting Roel’s Gobi Cases, I decided to reach out to Moto Machines, the US importer of Hepco & Becker, to see if they would be willing to help me out. I sent an e-mail pleading for Gobi side cases. I was REALLY sick of winding up with the equivalent of an inch of water in my Zegas every time it rained.
I also hinted that I wouldn’t mind a top case (my current one, “Walter” - a DeWalt toolbox cum top box - as much as I love it, wouldn’t fit properly with the hinged Gobi side cases). And a tank bag, since it would be really nice to have something more secure than what I have now and to have enough space to stash my camera for quick access.
You know, shoot for the Moon, land amongst the stars. Or so I was hoping.
I was on pins and needles waiting to hear back as soon as the e-mail to Moto Machines left my sent folder. And fortunately, they’re really nice guys and hardly made me wait for a reply. Not only did I land on the Moon, they insisted that I ride with a Hepco & Becker engine guard in addition to everything else.
And the surprises just kept adding up: they actually had the engine guard, side case rack and Gobi cases in stock for the Transalp… a 25 year old bike! The claim on their website that they have stock to outfit rare motorcycles held true! I would have to wait for the top case, but that just meant that Christmas would be extra exciting.
So again I waited on pins and needles for the UPS man to arrive. And when he did I actually felt like a child running down the stairs and beholding an impressively promising box under the Christmas tree.
Merry Christmas to MEEEEEE
No more fighting to cram things into my little tank bag and hello easy access to my DSLR! I was thrilled. The tank bags are sturdy and will fit our cameras. The black Gobi cases are beautiful. Sturdy, attractive and best of all, WATERPROOF. As were the awesome assortment of Hepco & Becker Ortlieb & Amphibious dry bags they sent.
Love the Hepco & Becker Travel Zip bag... fits all of our camping gear AND is easy to carry around!
You might wonder how I know this already… well, the package arrived during California’s first real fall storm. A deluge, if you will. And my wonderful boyfriend, installed the new rack, engine guard and cases in the pouring rain, before we rode in the pouring rain.
Roel installing my new engine guard in California's first fall storm. Can't wait for sunshine when we have a date with the border. :/ And yes, I know what a lucky girl I am
He had to shave off bits of Walter’s left-side so I can open that case enough to get stuff in and out, but it’ll work for now.. Time was of the essence and we had to get everything on the bike so I could begin packing up the cases and begin the ride South.
Obsessed with my new luggage setup!! It looks so good! Thank you Moto Machines!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment